While I was in Chicago this weekend, I was excited to discover that I am a Cusper. This is the term used by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman in their book, When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How To Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work, to describe people who were born during transitional years between cultural generations, or who otherwise identify with multiple generations.

Born between 1975 and 1980, I am specifically a Generation X / Millenial Cusper (according to the book, Millenial is another term for Generation Y, those people born between 1980 and 1999). I discovered this weekend that Cusper is probably an accurate description of my personal generational identity. Saturday night, we were on a Lake Michigan dinner cruise for my husband’s firm’s summer clerk retreat. The average year of birth for their summer clerks is approximately 1983, which makes them Millenials. Late in the evening, I met two delightful women who are in law school at Georgetown. I easily related to their law school and clerking experience because I have been through it, and I was not so far removed as to have forgotten it. My role in the conversation was not quite mentor, not quite peer, but something in between. I appreciated their enthusiasm about coaching, and identified with and respected their pragmatism regarding their legal education, clerking experience, and career expectations. On the plane ride home, I happened to pick up and begin reading When Generations Collide, and I learned that pragmatism, realism, and a desire for true, diverse collaboration are common traits among Millenials. In my experience, I find this to be quite accurate.

I also learned that there are advantages to being a Cusper, which I sensed on Saturday night, without being able to identify it. According to Lancaster and Stillman, a Cusper has the benefit of more naturally identifying with multiple generations’ values, beliefs, and interests. They have the advantage of being considered “one of us” by each adjacent generation, while having enough distance from each to create perspective. This uniquely positions Cuspers to bridge generational gaps in the workplace and makes them natural mentors and managers.

I would argue (and hope) that this probably makes Cuspers good coaches too! At least I sensed that this weekend, identifying with both my husband and our Generation X peers, and the future generation of lawyers - the Millenials.

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